Summer in Imladris
by Nefcairiel
Summary: A young Legolas visits the Peredhil twins for a boisterous summer filled with a series of misadventures and general elfling mischief.
1. A Welcomed Arrival

**Summer in Imladris**

Summary: A young Legolas visits the Peredhil twins for a boisterous summer filled with a series of misadventures and general elfling mischief.

Disclaimer: I'm not sure how necessary this is, but just so you know, I'm not claiming to be the owner of anything Tolkien came up with.

Author's Note: Hi, reader! Let me just take a second to explain my intentions for this story. Rather than have a single plot that builds up throughout the chapters and eventually resolves itself in the end, this story is going to be more of a series of short stories with each chapter containing a specific event with a climax and a resolution at the end. Unless, of course, I feel like throwing in a cliffie every once in a while. As for the genre, I'm thinking this story will probably contain a bit of everything. I don't really know at this point. We'll have to see what sort of ideas come to my mind! (And if you have any, please share) Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. I know I'm going to have fun writing it.

**Chapter 1: A Welcomed Arrival**

"Elladan, that was _not_ a fair hit!" a distraught, dark-haired elf complained to his brother, after having been roughly jabbed in the back by the blunt end of a wooden training sword, nicked and worn smooth from extensive use.

"Was to!" a near identical voice answered.

Two pairs of sea-gray eyes met in an identical glare.

"My back was to you! You can't hit an opponent when their back's towards you,"

"Says who? Anyways, that's what you get for trying to gain the high ground of the bed. We agreed the bed was off-limits, Elrohir," Elladan admonished, immediately taking on that I'm-the-big-brother-I'm-always-right tone that drove the younger twin up the wall, since in reality the twins were only less than an hour apart in age.

"No, we agreed the bed was back on-limits yesterday," the younger twin argued, still glaring at his brother. "Remember? You were the one who said it should be, you cheater."

"I am not a cheater!" Elladan fired back.

"Then the score's still six-six. That hit didn't count."

"Fine," Elladan said stubbornly.

"And the bed is---?" Elrohir began.

"On-limits!" Elladan quickly finished, leaping for the bed before his twin could react.

"Hey!" Elrohir shouted, following in suit.

Moments later the room was filled with the general racket of clanking training swords as the boys jumped up and down on the large elegant bed, laughing as the bedspread was ruffled, and the pillows were strewn carelessly across the floor. Minutes of intense competition passed and the sword fight eventually became a pillow fight, and the pillow fight, a wrestling match, as most things concerning competition between the twins inevitably became.

Elrohir just happened to be the victor of this match, which wasn't too much of a surprise to either twin, since it was usually a fifty/fifty chance of who would win. Well, maybe more of a fifty-five/forty-five chance--Elladan was the twin that was slightly more competitive and therefore had the small advantage over the younger twin.

Elrohir was just about to smother a pillow in his twin brother's face when a distant noise outside caught his attention. He immediately perked up, cocking his head slightly to let his elvish hearing work to its extent. Elladan, pinned and expecting a blow from the pillow at any second, stopped his wincing and opened his eyes to see what had caught his brother's attention.

"What is it?" Elladan asked, unable to hear much of anything outside, being squashed as he was by his brother.

"Sounds like..." Elrohir replied, head still cocked as he listened, "horses." A hint of excitement stole into his voice.

"From Mirkwood?" Elladan asked, the same tone of excitement evident in his voice.

"Ada said they wouldn't be here for another day, but maybe they're early," Elrohir anxiously suggested.

"Get off," Elladan said, hastily pushing his twin off him. "Let's go see."

The two elves scrambled to their feet and raced to the door, each striving to be the first one to it, and after a brief struggle of who would have the honor of leaving first, they exited the room, heedless as any two boys of the disarray they were leaving it in.

They raced through the bright halls of Rivendell, pounding feet echoing through the open corridors. Their eyes lit up with excitement as they thought of what possibly awaited them in the courtyard. For weeks now they had anticipated the arrival of their dear friend, their third counterpart, their fellow burdened-by-nobility elfling: Legolas. Never before had the twins met an elf they liked and admired more than the young prince of Mirkwood. Though several years his junior, the twins had never been treated as less than equals and companions by Legolas. He had never showed signs of favoring one twin over the other, and he had never, not even at their first meeting, treated the twins as some sort of phenomenon. Most people when first meeting the twins couldn't help but endlessly stare at them, marveling at how two separate beings could look and act so similar. But Legolas had never treated the twins as anything special, and that had gained instant respect from them. It wasn't that he was not interested in them, it was just that, young as he was, Legolas possessed a keen sense of understanding. He knew how to treat others. Perhaps, the twins reasoned, that was why he was so well liked by everyone. He was mature beyond his age, yet he was always up for a mischievous adventure, no matter how silly. He was confident, yet humble. He reminded the twins so much of themselves, and if they could have had a triplet brother, there was no one they would have wanted it to be more than Legolas.

Upon approaching the courtyard, the twins slowed their excited run to more of a fast-paced walk. They had been told numerous times it wasn't appropriate to appear hyper or overly excited in front of guests. As young elf lords they were supposed to be on their best manners when in official-like circumstances. Welcoming guests to Rivendell was always one of those "official circumstances" and, for all the times the twins had been told off for not behaving appropriately, the lesson had finally begun to sink in. So the twins walked the remainder of the way instead of ran, though their excitement had not lessened.

They reached the courtyard and sure enough, the escort of elves that awaited them there were Mirkwood elves. Their horses bore symbols attributing their kingdom and their garb was unmistakably that of the custom of Mirkwood. Elladan's stomach gave a little leap. He quickly scanned through the company of fair-haired elves, searching for the smallest one. He spotted him a spit second later, seated upon a noble-looking, though appropriately smaller horse, his silver hair glinting like tangible moonlight. He turned to nudge his twin but Elrohir had already broken away from him and was making his way over to the young Mirkwood prince.

"Legolas!" Elrohir exclaimed, rushing over to his newly-arrived friend. Elladan immediately followed.

Upon spotting his two identical friends making their way over, a beaming grin split across Legolas' face. He had the type of smile that would catch anyone's eye and make them smile themselves, and he was aware that several of the adults watching were indeed smiling. He slipped off his horse and before he could even turn around he was bombarded by a crushing hug. And before he could regain his bearings from that, he was bombarded by yet another crushing hug. Laughing brightly, he pounded the twins' backs as he struggled to keep his footing before the three of them fell to the ground in a tangled mess.

"Elladan! Elrohir!" he exclaimed, still laughing. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" he asked as they pulled apart and looked at each other, all three still grinning widely.

"A _while?_" Elrohir asked, indignantly.

"That's an understatement," Elladan piped in.

Legolas laughed. "Well, if you two hadn't gone back on last summer's plans..." he said, taking a playful swipe at one of the twins (he wasn't sure which one yet).

"Yeah, yeah," Elladan griped, "Somehow our 'Mirkwood Trip' became a 'Lothlorien Trip' at the last minute. It was Naneth's idea, or something like that. You should have seen how upset me and 'Ro were." Elrohir nodded in agreement.

"Well, Elladan," Legolas replied, putting an emphasis on the last word now that he knew which twin was which. "That hardly matters now," he said, taking on the haughty tone of an elf lord he so often liked to joke with, "because we are going to have a simply smashing summer, right here in Imladris. Now," he said, still in his joking snobbish tone, "If you two will just get my things and escort me to my chambers, I would be much obliged."

The twins snorted, and Elrohir gave him a playful push. Elladan however, played along and took on the same haughty tone that Legolas used, "Oh, I don't know about that," he said, turning to his twin. "I think it would do the elven _prince_ some good if he learned to carry his own things for once." The twins loved teasing Legolas about him being a prince. True, they were basically the same nobility status, but the twins were referred to as lords not princes, and they took advantage of every connotation that went along with the word "prince" when it came to bantering with their friend.

Legolas laughed. "I think you're quite mistaken by assuming I'm the one who needs the extra exercise," he said grinning, "And I'll prove it to once we get out on the training field."

The twins smirked at the challenge. "You're on," they said simultaneously.

"Elladan, Elrohir," Celebrian broke in, catching their attention. The twins had been oblivious to the adults conversing around them.

"Yes, Naneth?"

"Why don't you show Legolas his room? We'll bring his things in in a little while." She said smiling. She could see the excitement and happiness in her boys' eyes as the prospect of the summers' endless possibilities danced around in their minds. The boys readily agreed and set off together, Legolas in the middle with an arm slung over the shoulder of each twin. Celebrian watched them laughing and joking together as they walked off, and couldn't help but laugh a little herself. What wonderful boys, she thought. I'll have to keep an eye on them this summer though, that's for sure. For she had noticed that the ever-present glint of mischief in her twins' eyes had been just a tad bit brighter than usual.

* * *

**A/N:** Very short chapter, I know. But all I really felt like covering in this first chapter was Legolas' arrival, as the chapter title states. But I'm sure the next one will be longer. Please don't hesitate to leave any comments/suggestions/corrections/criticism! I'm open to it all. And also, any plot ideas would be very welcomed, since this story isn't outlined or anything. I'm just writing a fun story for the fun of it, and so anything could happen! 


	2. Stray Arrows

**

Chapter 2: Stray Arrows

**

"You'll be in here, Legolas," Elladan announced, throwing the doors to Elrohir's room open. They filed in one at a time. "Elrohir always ends up in my room at night anyway, so we'll just share it for the summer. He's still afraid of the dark," he explained with a smirk.

Elrohir snorted. "That's a lie," he turned to Legolas, "I always hear El crying for me in the middle of the night. So I have to come in and play Naneth, isn't that right, Ellie?" he said, mimicking an adult speaking to a small child.

Elladan took a swipe at his twin. "You liar." Elrohir laughed and dodged his brother's arm.

Legolas grinned, amused. He always found it funny how the twins would never admit how close they really were. Well, maybe it wasn't that they would not admit it; maybe they didn't even realize it yet. The truth of the matter was that the twins were still at that young age where being apart made them uneasy. They weren't ready for any sort of independence apart from each other yet, not even separate bedrooms, and probably wouldn't be for several years to come.

Legolas went over and flopped on the large bed. It was a bit like jumping into a pile of feathers. "Nice bed, 'Ro," he said, bouncing a little.

"Suitable for a prince?" Elrohir asked, striding over.

Legolas let out a short laugh. "Well..." he said examining it scrutinizingly, "I was hoping it would be a _bit_ bigger, but I guess it will do," he said sarcastically.

Elrohir laughed and tossed a pillow at his friend's head.

"So, what should we do?" Elladan asked, flopping on the bed.

"Didn't we have some sort of arrangement for me to beat you two out on the training field?" Legolas asked, slightly arching an eyebrow.

Elladan grinned. "You're going to regret that over-confidence later."

"Ada won't be happy if he catches us out there while the warriors are training," Elrohir advised. "He told us we're not allowed, remember?"

"Ah, don't be a wet blanket," Elladan said. "We won't get hurt, and we'll stay on the other end of the field. They won't even notice us. Come on, this'll be fun."

Elrohir reluctantly agreed and the three of them made their way out to the spacious training field. The grass was emerald green and each blade could have almost passed for the precious gem the way they glinted and shone in the sunlight. Tall trees surrounded the perimeter of the field, their swaying branches floating softly in the breeze. It was a beautiful day, but the three young elves hardly took notice of the weather as they marched across the grassy terrain. Their minds were geared towards more important matters: archery and sword fighting. They headed towards the far end of the field, away from the warriors who were currently training with Glorfindel, their small bows and training swords in tow. They stopped about twenty yards short of a tree that had been adorned with a cloth target.

"All right," Elladan said, taking his bow in hand. "You know how it goes. Ten points if you hit the bull's-eye, and two points less for every ring away from it. First one to get fifty points wins."

The two other elflings took their bows in hands, eager to begin the competition. Elladan took the first shot--

"Six points," Elrohir announced. "Gotten a bit rusty in the last few days, huh, El?"

Elladan gave him a glare. Elrohir went next and earned himself a respectable eight points. Legolas, unsurprisingly to both the twins, hit the bull's-eye on his first shot--and almost every shot after that as well. The twins weren't bad, hitting the bull's-eye every few shots or so, but Legolas was a real natural with the bow. Elladan was a little piqued at first, but that quickly turned to admiration as the afternoon wore on and the competition wore off. Legolas won every game but the twins still managed to rack up a decent amount of points, so they weren't really bothered by losing. Legolas didn't rub it in either--he was never the type to rub things in.

Gradually the game got old, and the young elves were ready for a change of scene. Elladan was plucking arrows from the target when he caught sight of a long bow leaned against a nearby tree that one of the training elves must have left there earlier. This large bow would throw a whole new spin on their shooting competition. Elladan eagerly went to show the other two.

"You won't even be able to draw it," Elrohir said, as Elladan fit an arrow to the string.

"Watch and learn, little brother," Elladan said and pulled back with all his strength. It took some effort, but he did manage to draw the bow.

"You did it, El!" Legolas exclaimed. "Now aim for the target."

Elladan did so accordingly but when he released the arrow, the force of long bow threw off his aim and the arrow veered off to the right and completely missed the target, landing somewhere among the trees about half-way down the field.

"Nice one, El," Elrohir snickered.

Disappointed, Elladan lowered the bow. Legolas punched his shoulder. "Better luck next time," he said, "Can I have a go at it?"

"Yeah," Elladan said, handing the bow over. "I better go get the arrow." Elladan stalked off down the field to where he had seen the arrow disappear.

Legolas and Elrohir returned their attention to the target and the new challenge at hand. Legolas managed to draw the long bow with some effort and even planted an arrow on the eight-point ring. Elrohir applauded him and was just about to take his turn with the long bow when a shout down the field caught their attention.

"Heads up!"

One of the training elves must have noticed Elladan enter the trees midway down the field because he managed to shout a warning to the young elf a split second before a poorly aimed arrow shot through the trees just where Elladan had entered. Elrohir lowered the long bow, staring down the field to where he had seen his brother disappear into the trees. Surely nothing had happen--

Elrohir's breath suddenly cut short and he heard Legolas gasp aloud beside him. For out of the trees, fifty or so yards ahead, stumbled a hunched over Elladan. And sticking straight through his midsection was the long shaft of an arrow.

Elrohir felt the blood instantly drain from his face, and his stomach dropped like a chunk of ice. He was sure he was going to be sick, but his feet immediately started carrying him as fast as possible, regardless of what his stomach was feeling. He suddenly felt more scared than he could ever remember being. He didn't notice Legolas keeping pace beside him.

They reached Elladan moments before Glorfindel and several of the other warrior elves, and watched him crumple to the ground upon their arrival. Elrohir was kneeling at his side immediately, eyes wide, heart pounding so hard he thought it might burst through his chest. Cautiously, he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, preparing to turn him over, yet dreading the sight that awaited him. He closed his eyes and took a breath to steady himself. And that's when he noticed his brother's shoulder was shaking. Elrohir's brow furrowed. Elladan wasn't hurt, he was--laughing?

Elladan burst out in peals of laughter. He rolled over and staggered to his feet, showing them all an arrow tucked neatly under his arm giving the perfect illusion of it passing through his midsection.

There were immediate sighs of relief all around, as Elladan continued to chuckle at what he considered a very clever joke. Legolas even cracked a grin after a few moments, but Elrohir just stood there dumbfounded.

Elladan's laughter was just dying down when Elrohir gathered his senses enough to lunge at his brother. He caught Elladan with a square blow right across the jawline, snapping his twin's head to the side, and immediately silencing any laughter.

"Don't you _ever_...How could you...?" Elrohir could hardly string a sentence together through his anger.

Elladan was staring incredulously at his twin, his face throbbing from the shock of the blow. He was about to get just as angry back at his twin when he noticed Elrohir was on the verge of bursting into tears. Shocked and confused, he didn't know what else to say but, "'Ro?"

A shaking sob suddenly racked Elrohir's small frame. "That was _not_ funny," Was all he managed to get out before turning away and stalking off, angrily brushing tears from his face.

Elladan stared after him, open-mouthed. After a minute or two he turned to Legolas, "It was a joke," he said, still not believing his twin's reaction.

Legolas nodded, staring at the ground. After a moment he said, "I've never had a twin, or even a brother, but if I did, I don't think I'd ever find it very funny seeing him get shot, either."

Elladan suddenly put himself in Elrohir's place and understood. He realized he would have reacted the exact same way Elrohir had if their positions had been switched. He felt awful. And embarrassed, too. What he had done was downright mean. He had scared Elrohir--really scared him. He never realized how much he meant to his twin brother. And although he felt mostly bad, he couldn't help feeling a bit touched that his brother cared so much--cared enough to full-out slug him! What a great brother, Elladan thought. I'll make it up to him.

"Come on," Elladan said, resting an arm on Legolas' shoulder. "Let's go in."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter didn't turn out very long either. But I hope you liked it! I just had to throw in a bit of twin angst. I'll try not to load all the chapters with it though, but sometimes I just can't help it. The twins are just too cute. Anyways, be looking for another quick update. And leave a review, please!

**Review Responses:** Hehe, since I got _so_ many reviews for that first chapter, this might take a while. So please bear with me.

**angeltread:** Hey! I updated pretty darn quick. All because you asked me to! That's the power of reviews, right there. :)

**Coolio02:** Hey, Coolio! You were my first reviewer for Reality of Dreams! That's pretty ironic, don't you think? Unless you make it a goal to be the first reviewer of every new story that comes out, but I highly doubt that. Anyways, thanks for the nice comments! It's always nice hearing from a familiar member. How's your writing coming along? I think I'll take a look at your bio page in just a minute as soon as I'm done with this. Well, take care. Hope to hear from you again soon!


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